The show must go on, at least when it comes to Scarlett Johansson's upcoming Super Bowl ad.The actress drew fire last week for her new role as a brand ambassador for SodaStream, a company that manufactures a device that turns ...

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By TV Guide

Holland Sentinel

By TV Guide

Posted Jan. 27, 2014 at 6:23 PM

By TV Guide
Posted Jan. 27, 2014 at 6:23 PM

The show must go on, at least when it comes to Scarlett Johansson's upcoming Super Bowl ad.

The actress drew fire last week for her new role as a brand ambassador for SodaStream, a company that manufactures a device that turns water into soda and is known for operating a factory in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank.

Oxfam International, which Johansson has worked for as an ambassador since 2007, released a statement last week chastising Johansson for her affiliation with SodaStream. "Oxfam respects the independence of our ambassadors. However Oxfam believes that businesses that operate in settlements further the ongoing poverty and denial of rights of the Palestinian communities that we work to support. Oxfam is opposed to all trade from Israeli settlements, which are illegal under international law," Oxfam said on its website. "We have been engaged in dialogue with Scarlett Johansson and she has now expressed her position in a statement, including stressing her pride in her past work with Oxfam. Oxfam is now considering the implications of her new statement and what it means for Ms. Johansson's role as an Oxfam global ambassador."

Despite the controversy, Johansson says she continues to plan on working with SodaStream. "I remain a supporter of economic cooperation and social interaction between a democratic Israel and Palestine. SodaStream is a company that is not only committed to the environment but to building a bridge to peace between Israel and Palestine, supporting neighbors working alongside each other, receiving equal pay, equal benefits and equal rights," she said in a statement to The Huffington Post. "That is what is happening in their Ma'ale Adumim factory every working day."

Johansson acknowledged that she "never intended on being the face of any social or political movement" as part of her commitment to promoting the brand. "I believe in conscious consumerism and transparency and I trust that the consumer will make their own educated choice that is right for them. I stand behind the SodaStream product and am proud of the work that I have accomplished at Oxfam as an Ambassador for over eight years," she continued. "Even though it is a side effect of representing SodaStream, I am happy that light is being shed on this issue in hopes that a greater number of voices will contribute to the conversation of a peaceful two state solution in the near future."